English and Journalism

Recommended Textbooks

English 100

The Freedom Writers Diary, The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell. Broadway Books, NY. 1999. ISBN# 978-0385494229.The Freedom Writers Diary is a particularly useful text for readers and writers at risk. I use it primarily to teach a developmental first-year composition course. One of the many drawbacks to standardization, norming, and the assembly line model that constitutes the American educational composition system is that students are reminded over and over again of the skills they lack. Tell students that they cannot read or write well, and they decide to stop even trying. Gruwell changed the focus. She attempted to connect with her students and find out what they could do. Suprise, this worked. The journal (or diary) entries are the published results of Gruwell's four-year experiment. I show the film, and we all read the book. Each class member chooses a student with whom he or she can relate. The students compare their high school careers to those of the Freedom Writers. As a "community" we discover our own stories. Available through Amazon $10.19 new or used for less. - Jennie Trias.

Write to Learn, Donald M. Murray. 8th edition. Cengage, 2005. ISBN# 978-1413001730. This text, currently in its 8th edition, is used and recommended by Jennie Trias. Jennie states that "unlike other composition texts, this one neither arrogantly talks far above the students' level nor does it talk down to them." In conjunction with Murray's voice is the basic functionality of this text. It is short (326 pages) and concise, offering thorough discussions regarding the various writings we require students to produce in both ENG 180 and 280 composition courses, a fact that demonstrates how truly adaptable this book is. Additionally, there would be no need to require a supplemental reader as Murray includes various essays. (2009) description.

ENG 180

Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin's Guide to Writing. 10th edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. ISBN# 978-1-4576-0442-3. I use The St. Martin's Guide to Writing because its organization is easy to follow, plus it includes essays which serve as models for the type of genre covered in each particular essay. Also, the text includes enough different genres that I'm not teaching the same thing every semester, and no matter which genre I select, I feel that it will be useful to students in other classes at the university. - Diana Allen.

Ballenger, Bruce. The Curious Writer. 4th edition. Pearson Longman, 2012. ISBN# 978-0205876648. Author Bruce Ballenger writes his text The Curious Writer in a very user friendly voice. Students from both Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 have commented about the accessibility of the language and the ideas that Ballenger presents. I use the Concise Edition, 4/E, which the publisher lists at a suggested $76. The text is well worth the cost as it includes not only instructions leading students through various genres but also a great chapter introducing 24 distinct revision strategies and offering exercises for students to complete using their own draft (at the revising stage). I would recommend the text to anyone teaching ENG 180. - Kathie Zemke.

Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. "They Say/I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. 2nd edition. Norton, 2010. ISBN# 978-0-393-93361-1 or 91275-3 (with readings). This is a great introduction to academic writing. The premise of the book is entering the discussion, and I think this is a great way to get started. The book offers templates which provide for the students models of what academic writing looks like. The book offers a way for students to keep their writing voice while writing academically. There are two versions of this text: one with readings and one without readings. - Penny Rigg (2009)

Kennedy, Kennedy, and Aaron. The Brief Bedford Reader. 12th edition. Bedford/St. Martins, 2014. ISBN# 978-1-4576-3696-7.The Brief Bedford Reader could be the only text required for the College Composition I classroom as it includes writing tools, essays for modeling (both professional and student), and an MLA documentation handbook all in one compact, easily navigated, affordable book. With its variety of essays and instruction in the methods of composition, it is a valuable tool for my students. Additionally, Bedford offers a thorough website where students can find a collection of links to support the topics and authors, learn documentation skills, take online reading quizzes (student log in and scores can be sent directly to the instructor - tremendous tool), and so on. - Jodi Cook.

Palmquist, Mike. Joining the Conversation. Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. ISBN# 978-0-312-41215-9. This is the text currently being used by Teaching Assistants.

Robertson, Alice B. Writing from Private Spaces to Public Places. 2nd edition. Kendall Hunt, 2009. ISBN# 978-0-7575-6871-8. This book follows the assignments of ENG 180 and provides writing samples. The text focuses on writing as a process while considering that writing is personal. This text is an excellent introduction to college writing. - Penny Rigg (2009)

English 280

Ballenger, Bruce. The Curious Researcher. 7th edition. Longman, 2012. ISBN# 9780205172870. Bruce Ballenger's introduction begins by redefining the "research paper." It addresses the differences between a research paper and a research report, levels of formality, essaying vs. arguing, and the need to gain authority over outside voices. It also introduces students to the need for curiosity when developing approaches to research papers. Ballenger suggests a five week plan for writing research papers, and each of the subsequent chapters focuses on benchmarks for each week. Chaper One, called "The First Week," introduces students to library and internet services. Chapter Two encourages students to narrow their topics and develop research strategies. Chapter Three stressese the need to write as you research (note cards, etc.). Chapters Four and Five focus on drafting and revising respectively. An MLA guide, APA guide, and introduction to writing about literary topics are offered as appendices. The Curious Researcher is about $45. (Kemper and Rahman) - Neil Baird

Barnet and Bedau. From Critical Thinking to Argument. 4th edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. ISBN# 978-1-4576-4995-0. This is a "bare-bones" book for 280. I use it and then supplement with a reader or readings pertaining to a topic. It has good chapters on analysis and critical reading. The chapters on argument are okay. There isn't as much documentation help as there could be but that can be remedied by the use of Hacker or the Purdue OWL site. The book sells for under $20, which makes the students happy. - Kathleen O'Donnell-Brown

Gooch, Johnm and Dorethy Sayler. Argument! 2nd edition. McGraw-Hill, 2012. ISBN# 9780073384023. Those familiar with Seyler's Read, Reason, Write will recognize much of the content of Argument! A major difference is the inclusion of many visual arguments, which, unfortunately, make it a rather expensive book. Still, the students seem to tolerate it. - Rick Clemons (2014)

Iversen, Kristen. Shadow Boxing: Art and Craft in Creative Nonfiction. Longman. 2004. I like Shadow Boxing for its stories. I would certainly recommend it as a reader for anyone who is interested in having their class read, analyze, research, and write about creative nonfiction pieces. - Barbara Ashwood-Gegas (2009)

Latterell, Catherine G. Remix: Reading and Composing Culture. Bedford, 2010. ISBN#0-312-47668-X. I like this textbook because it is based on the assumption that when students write, they are remixing the culture they live in, revising it, reinterpreting it and creating culture themselves. The premise is empowering and the book is set up to help students interrogate cultural assumptions by reading essays from cultural critics, humorists and entertainers as well as a variety of visual texts (photo essays, comics, ads, and cultural artifacts). Every chapter theme (Identity, Entertainment, Nature, Technology) comes with an introduction explaining our assumptions about that theme. For example, we assume that technologies are neutral but how are we blinded by this assumption? I think this textbook leads to great discussions in class and lots to write about, investigate, and research. - Shazia Rahman (2014)

Lester, James D. and James D. Lester, Jr. Writing Research Papers. 14th edition. Longman-Pearson, 2012. ISBN# 9780205236411. Writing Reserach Papers capably leads students through the strategies for writing papers, including writing proposals, writing arguments, and writing researched papers of various kinds. The format is easy to read and makes the important points easy to find. It covers the research topic effectively, including how-to and source discussions. Documentation sections include newly updated MLA, APA, CMS, and CSE citation information. The book offers what ENG 280 students should learn. - Carol Bollin.

Lunsford, Andrea, John Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. Everything's an Argument (with readings). 6th edition. Bedford/St. Martins, 2013. ISBN# 978-1-4576-0604-5. Comes with or without readings. As the title suggests, everything is an argument for Andrea Lunsford and John Ruszkiewicz. The textbook offers a standard rhetoric for argumentation. Students will be introduced to different lines of argumentation (arguments based on emotion, values, character, and facts and reason) and different ways of structuring arguments (definition, evaluation, cause and effect, proposals, humor). Where this text differs from most argument rhetorics is the inclusion of visual images (photos, logos, webpages, etc.) and electronic forms of communication as "readings." This text is great for instructors wanting to incorporate visual argument into their courses but do not want a textbook that focuses primarily on visual rhetoric such as Donald and Christine McQuade's Seeing and Writing or Robert Atwan's Convergences. Everything's an Argument with readings is about $60. - Neil Baird

McQuade, Donald and Christine McQuade. Seeing and Writing 4. Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. ISBN# 978-0-312-47604-5.Strong focus on the visual and textual, similar to Convergence or Everything's an Argument. Chapter themes connect to writing assignments I teach the most (i.e. Capturing Memorable Moments, Coming to Terms with Place, Examining Difference, Projecting Gender, and the Ethics of Representation). Readings are tough and difficult to use as models. More of a text for ENG 280 than 180. - Neil Baird.

Seyler, Dorothy U. Read, Reason, Write. 11th edition. McGraw-Hill, 2015. ISBN# 9781259276880. This is a 280 text that focuses on the interrelationships between reading, audience, analysis, argumentative strategies, and research. The book's organization is practical, building a foundation of critical reading skills, analysis, as well as various methods of responding to writing, including summary writing and critical analysis before moving on to detailing argumentative strategies and methods of building different types of arguments. The research component that follows the argumentative section is thorough and well illustrated. Throughout the text, Seyler uses both professional and student writing samples to illustrate methods she is describing, annotating student writings to further illustrate her points. The book also has a collection of professional essays which are categorized by general topic areas. For the new instructor, she has several exercises that can also be used to clarify important concepts or assess students' understanding. The newer editions have a website companion for both the instructor and the student which work with WebCT and Blackboard. If you like clarity and order, you will like this text. - Dee J. Hutinger (2009).

Wysocki/Lynch. DK Handbook.3rd edition. Longman. 2014. ISBN# 978-0-205863792. I used DK Handbook as the textbook for English 280 and really liked it. There is good information on analysis and argument that I have even used in previous semesters. There are examples that actually make sense to the students, and graphics that help lead them in the writing process, that they include in every step of the process (choosing a topic through publication) as well as the format information. There were several points included here that I've not been able to find in other textbooks, such as working and annotated bibliographies. My students liked the way grammar and mechanics were handled, too. An example sentence is given, demonstrating different sentence patterns, with the direction "If your sentence looks like this, turn to page xx" where the correct punctuation and explanation are provided. I would use this textbook every semester, but it is expensive new. - Penny Rigg